Sabres ink Johansson
Bruins lose winger to division opponent
The Bruins lost yet another piece of the lineup from their Stanley Cup run.
Marcus Johansson signed with the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday for two years and $9 million, a $4.5 million cap hit each season.
Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said on July 1 the team hadn’t extended an offer to Johansson, who reportedly was mulling contracts from several NHL clubs.
The Bruins acquired Johansson from the New Jersey Devils for a second-round pick this year and a fourth next year. He scored a goal with two assists in 10 regularseason games before playing 22 in the postseason with four goals and seven assists.
Johansson worked at times on the top power-play unit in the postseason but was primarily on the second. He helped shore up the winger position after the B’s struggled to find consistency, especially outside of the top six.
There was talk Johansson’s postseason performance had priced him out of the Bruins range, with some speculation he might eclipse the $5 million per season mark. Instead, he gets a reasonable deal with one of the Bruins’ division rivals.
The Bruins still have just $10 million in cap space, with three restricted free agents on the docket to sign (Charlie McAvoy, Brandon Carlo, Danton Heinen). Sweeney said the Bruins were likely done with the free agent market, so it shouldn’t be a surprise to see Johansson go.
The Bruins were unable to make space to keep what ended up one of the more affordable options on the market, and someone who knew the team. They still haven’t addressed replacing Johansson, with Brett Ritchie and Par Lindholm as their only NHL signings to date.
There’s still time, and more roster moving to do with the restricted free agents, to replace Johansson’s projected production. But, he’ll be in Buffalo under a reasonable deal.